Ear-protector.



C. MPBELANGER.

EAR PROTECTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27. 1915.

1 ,1 58,966. Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

WITNESSES: IN VEN TOR.

l BY MM Q m ATTORNEY.

oELIA M.'1ELANGER, OF NoRTHAMrroN, ivinssaonusnrrs.

7 Ha lton.

. .To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CELIA M BELANGER,

acitizen ofthe United States of America,

residing at Northampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented a neW and useful Ear-Protector, of

which the following is a specification,

My invention relates to improvements in head devices designed to prevent liquid poured over or otherwise applied to the -head from entering the ears, and consists of certain peculiar, curved, trough-like members, each being provided at one end with a cup, receptacle, or equivalent end-closing .or l1qu1d-defiect1ng means, and a resihent support to which said members are attached, pivotal attachments being'provided for said members When desired, and said support be-- ing made adjustable in the event such an expedient be deemed advisable, all as hereinafter set forth.

In the process of sliampooing the head, or

ofwashing the hair, it is customary to place the subject in a reclining position, With the head laid back in a suitably supportedpan which catches the Water or other liquid used in the operation,'especially in the treatment of Women or children Who have long hair, and more or less of such Water or other !liquid applied to the head and hair and rubbed into the scalp, by the operator, in-

variably runs doWn into the ears of the subject in the absence of some preventive or protective means, thus causing discomfort i 351and even pain in some cases, and the prima'ry object of my invention is to provide a simple, convenient, comfortable, and entirely eflicient device Which is adapted to fit over and in front of the ears, and to re-j 40 ,ceive the liquid'that Would,-in the-absence of such device, be liable to run down into the same, and convey such liquid avvay from the entrances to the ears. a

Other objects and advantages Will appear I in'the 'course'of the following description.

I attain the objects and secure theadvam tages of my invention by the means illus trated in the accompanying dravvings,'*in 'Which p I Figure 1 is a perspective vievvof a protector which embodies a practical formof' my inventionythe same being disposed as'it would actually appear ifapp'lied t'othe-head and overthe earsof a person arranged position for the treatment to Which refer ence has been made; Fig. 2, a top plan of Specification of Letters Patent.

rete te ate. 2, 19151.

Application filed March 27, 1915. serial no. 1?;51 1

one ofthe trough-like members, and, Fig.3,

a longitudinal vertical section through such I member.' ,s V S1mila'r' numerals designatesimilar parts through the several views.

free ends of the support 1'. I a

The support 1 should be capable of holding the ear hooks 2 close to the sidesof the head, and for that reason is preferably madeofresilient material, such asWire or flat spring steel.

Ordinarily the support lywhe'n made of resilientmate'riaL-is capable of fitting heads of all sizes, but'if a greater range of adjustment, than thatnaturally afforded by the resilientnature of said support, bGIIGGClBCl or desired, the same can be obtained by 'con-:-

structingthe support in tWo parts and connecting such parts bymeans of a slip joint or equivalent medium; In the present-case thesupport 1 comprises two partsvo-r sections, and these sections have overlapping terminals 4. 4, to which are securely attached two bands 5, the arrangement being such that each of: said terminals passes.-

through and can slide in the band on the other of said terminals. Some little fric tional resistance is present in this construce tion, enough -:in fact to. prevent the parts from slipping under ordinary conditions,

but not enough to prevent the terminals '4 from-being slipped along on, each other,

when the necessary amount of force'is prop? erly applied, tha t. is, applied; to the sections I at points-just outside of theban'ds 5. I

size o-rcapacity of the support 1 is increased The by'islipping the..-parts so as to shorten the terminals 4;andbring the bands 5 nearer together, and said capacity is decreased by slipping said parts so as .to lengthen said terminals and move said bands away from each other.

The better to adapt or fit the protector to, difler'ent heads, I preferuto pivot the car.

hooks 2 to the free terminals of the support 1, and to this end provide said hooks:

farther;

with lugs 6 and said support with bifur-Q cated terminals 7 to receive said lugs, pivots 8 being passed through said parts 6 and 7 The ear hooks 2v are permitted to swing freely on the pivots 8, wherefore they may be readily fitted to the sides of the head.

Each lug 6 projects from the inner face of the back side of the ear hook 2 to which said lug is attached, at a point intermediate of the ends of said hook. The back side of each ear hook 2 has a recess 9 therein, between the lug 6 on said side and the front end of said hook, to receive or accommodate the adjacent part of the support 1 and permit said hook to be swung outward at such end. without the upper edge of said side at any time contacting with said support.

Each ear hook 2 consists of a V-shaped trough-like structure, as already stated, which at the back end is bent or curved over to form a prong 10. The prong 10 is the part of each hook 2 that fits over the top of theear, to which said hook is applied, between the side of the head and the upper part of the rim of the ear, with the pointed end of said prong behind said ear, while the rest of said hook lies against the corresponding side of the face in front of or above the entrance to said ear, when the head is laid back. The hooks 2 are, therefore, supported partly by the ears and partly by the support 1, and the latter holds said hooks tightly against the sides of the head and face, so that no liquid can pass between. The V- shaped channel, indicated by the numeral 11 in Fig. 2, in each hook 2 extends the entire length of said hook, being open at both ends and on top. When the hooks 2 are in place the channels 11 therein receive the liquid that runs down the sides of the head in the vicinity of the entrances to the ears, and such liquid passes away over the prongs 10 behind and out at the front ends of said channels, without any of the liquid being able to enter said ears. The hooks 2 form shields for the ears and conduits for the liquid, so that the ears are protected completed, even the rims and lobes of the ears being kept dry, owing to the width and outward slant of the outer sides of said hooks, and to the length of the hooks or of the parts thereof that are forward of the prongs 10..

Quite a stream of liquid is liable to flow j out of the front end of either hook 2, and,

in order to divert such stream and cause it to pass at once into the aforesaid pan under the head, rather than permit it to run down onto the face and neck, I provide one of the cups 3 at said front end. In the construction, as illustrated in connection herewith, the cups 3 are attached to the front ends of the inner sides of the ear hooks. The cups are arranged with their open ends at the back, when the ear hooks areiin operative position, so that the liquid, that flows out of the front ends ofthe channels 11 into said cups, runs back out of the latter into the receptacle'under the head, the liquid enter- .uid is applied in the usual manner to the head and hair, and runs down the sides of the head, but is diverted from the ears and caused to pass in front and back of them, by the hooks 2 so that none of the liquid gets into said ears. As previously observed, the liquid in the paths that lead to the ears is received in the channels 11, and escapes therefrom at both ends, some of such liquid passing to the rear and down over the curved prongs 10 and out of said channels at or adjacent to the pointed ends of said prongs, and the rest of such liquid passing forward into the cups 3 and then out of said cups again. Some of the liquid may, of course, escape from the front ends of the channels 11 without entering the cups 3 at all, but by far the larger percentage, if not all, of the liquid enters the cups before making its final escape. The cups 3 or equivalent members would not be needed if the liquid would pass downward orfall directly upon leaving the front ends of the channels 11, but as a rule there is so much impetus to the liquid that it would be projected a considerable distance beyond said front ends of the channels and without material change in direction, in the absence of said cups or members, thereby wetting the person and clothing.

At the end of the 'shampooing or other operation, the hooks 2 are lifted or disengaged from the ears, and the protector is washed and cleansed and laid aside until again required for use. It is very easy to wash, and disinfect if necessary, the protector, so that no difficulty is experienced in keeping the same clean and sanitary.

It will have been understood before this that the ear hooks of these protectors, with phfe attached cups, are made in rights and e ts. More or less change may be made in'the shape, size, construction, and arrangement of some or all of the parts of this device, without departing from the spirit of the in vention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As a new article of manufacture, an ear protector comprising a support, and a pair of longitudinally channeled ear hooks attached to said support.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an

ear protector comprising a support, and a pair of longitudinally channeled ear hooks attached to said support, said hooks being provided at their forward ends with means and a pair of longitudinally channeled ear,

hooks attached to the free ends of said support.

5. As a new article of manufacture, an

ear protector comprising a support, and a pair of longitudinally channeled ear hooks movably attached to said support.

6. An ear hook, for an ear protector, consisting of a substantially V-shaped member,

in cross section, terminating inthe rear in" a curved prong adapted to fit over the top of the ear, between the side of the head and" the upper part of the rim of said ear, said member opening upwardly and at the ends.

7. In an ear protector, an ear hook consisting of a substantially V-shaped member, in cross section, terminating at the rear in a curved prong adapted to fit over the top of the ear, between the side of the head and the upper part of the rim of said ear, said member opening upwardly and at the ends, and an attachment at the front end of said member to divert the course of liquid flowing through the same.

'8. In an ear protector, an ear hook consisting of a substantially V-shaped member, in cross section, terminating at the rear in a curved prong adapted to fit over the top Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

of the'ear, between the side of. the head and upper part of the rim of said ear, said member opening upwardly and at the ends, and a cup attached to the front end of said member and opening toward such end. 7

9. The combination, in an ear protector, with ear hooks consisting of substantially V-shaped members, in cross section, terminating at the rear in curved prongs adapted to'fit over the tops of the ears, between the sides of the head and the upper parts of the rims of said ears, said members opening upwardly and at the ends, and means to direct downwardly liquid flowing from the front ends of said members, of supporting means for said hooks, said supporting means being .adapted "to hold said hooks closely against the sides of said head.

T 10. The combination, in an ear protector, with ear hooks consisting of substantially V-shaped members, in cross section, terminating in the rear in curved prongs adapted to fit over the tops of ears, between the sides of the'head and the upper parts of the rims of said ears, said members opening upwardly and at the ends, and cups attached, with their closed ends forward, to the front ends of said members, of supporting means for said hooks, said supporting means beagainst the sides of said head.

11. The combination, in an ear protector, with a substantiallyU-shaped support, of a pair of channeled ear hooks having flaring sides, and provided with lugs, and pivotal "means of connection between the free ends of said support and said lugs.

' CELIA M.,BELANGER.

Witnesses: I

F. A. CUTTER, A. C. FAIRBANKS.

Washington, D. G. v

ing adapted to hold said hooks closely 

